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en-usEngadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronicsCopyright 2018 AOL Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.https://www.engadget.com/2011/07/12/ramona-fricosu-case-to-determine-if-decrypted-laptop-files-are-s/https://www.engadget.com/2011/07/12/ramona-fricosu-case-to-determine-if-decrypted-laptop-files-are-s/https://www.engadget.com/2011/07/12/ramona-fricosu-case-to-determine-if-decrypted-laptop-files-are-s/#comments

So far, we've pretty much decided that the Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution covers those zany thoughts within your skull. But when it comes to more tangible things, it's hardly as clear. In the past, convicted persons have been forced to cough up keys to what eventually becomes evidence, and in the case of one Ramona Fricosu, the US Department of Justice is assuming that a computer passphrase is no different. But that assumption is causing shock waves throughout the tech community, as the decrypting of one's laptop files is arguably causing someone to become a "witness against himself." Of note, no one's asking that Ramona actually hand over the password per se, but even typing in the unlock code while not being watched results in effectively the same conclusion. The San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation is clearly taking a stance against the proposal, noting that this type of situation is exactly one that the Fifth was designed to protect. Only time will tell if Fricosu's offered immunity as a token for complying, but the precedents that are set here are apt to be felt for decades to come. Tap that CNET link for an in-depth report.
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courtdecryptdecryptiondepartment of justicedepartmentofjusticedojlegalobamaramona fricosuramonafricosurightssecurityus dojusdojTue, 12 Jul 2011 17:33:00 -040021|19989143https://www.engadget.com/2006/12/12/lcd-price-fixing-probe-targets-lg-philips-sharp-samsung/https://www.engadget.com/2006/12/12/lcd-price-fixing-probe-targets-lg-philips-sharp-samsung/https://www.engadget.com/2006/12/12/lcd-price-fixing-probe-targets-lg-philips-sharp-samsung/#comments

A number of TFT LCD manufacturers are under investigation by government regulators in Asia and the US for possible price-fixing. LG.Philips was subpoenaed by American, Japanese and Korean authorities on Monday, while Samsung was hit with legal papers on Tuesday. Further, Sharp was "contacted" by the Japan Fair Trade Commission and the US Department of Justice, though it's unclear if that meant it got a subpoena too. But the fun doesn't stop there, reports IDG News Service, with the European Commission now getting in on the act, too -- the EC said that it was trying to "ascertain whether there is evidence of a cartel agreement and related practices concerning price fixing." Of course, this comes hot on the heels of that video card investigation we heard about recently, as well as the RAM price-fixing fiasco that Mitsubishi (and previously Samsung) were involved in. We'll keep you posted if other display makers get swept up into this.

[Via Slashdot]
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hdlegallg philipslgphilipsphilipssamsungsharpsubpoenaus dojusdojTue, 12 Dec 2006 18:35:00 -050021|717569https://www.engadget.com/2006/09/15/us-doj-sides-with-apple-in-brewing-fight-with-europe/https://www.engadget.com/2006/09/15/us-doj-sides-with-apple-in-brewing-fight-with-europe/https://www.engadget.com/2006/09/15/us-doj-sides-with-apple-in-brewing-fight-with-europe/#commentsDRM lovers and haters alike, gather round, because the good ol' US Cavalry (played in this film by the US Department of Justice), has just saddled up and taken sides in what is prepared to be an epic showdown between some wild west cowboys (Apple) and strangers from the east (Europe). As IDG News Service reported yesterday, the first shot has been fired by Thomas Barnett, an assistant attorney general at the DOJ's antitrust division. Barnett and his DOJ posse are siding with Apple and warning European countries like Norway, Sweden, Denmark and France to back off, arguing that forcing companies to reveal their intellectual property slows innovation -- and they haven't discussed the anti-consumer angle, or the increasing feeling abroad that Apple is acting anti-competitively. Meanwhile, the Norwegian Consumers Council is going to meet with Apple later this month to try to solve this issue more diplomatically before things gets out of control and Apple and Europe have to duke it out in the OK Corral court.